Montana and North Dakota say yes to oil sands

Two states prepare to tap into a pipeline that will link the Alberta oil sands with refineries on the Gulf Coast.

GETTING CONNECTED: Montana and North Dakota may not make many environmental friends by tapping into the Keystone XL pipeline. (Photo: CanadaGood/Flickr)

It looks as though Montana and North Dakota are getting in on the Alberta oil sands game.

The Associated Press is reporting that Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer claims the Canadian energy company TransCanada soon will host meetings to pave the way for Montana and North Dakota to gain access to a pipeline that will carry oil sand crude to the United States. The nearly 2,000-mile pipeline will travel from northern Alberta through Montana and North Dakota and then through the heart of the Mountain West region of the United States to refineries near the Gulf of Mexico.

The pipeline, known as the Keystone XL, is expected to expand crude oil production in the two states. Access to refineries is said to be a major reason why the two states lag behind in oil production. If the pipeline becomes a reality, it is likely to fuel anger both north and south of the border over the environmental hazards of the Alberta oil sands.

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